THE GIFT OF HISTORY

Doug Dunn  

The last time I studied history was 50 years ago. My teacher seemed to encouraged seemed my history class learn dates and important facts by heart. I remember listening to him read the French Revolution textbook while underlining the important bits. After two years I learned enough of European history to pass the exam.

After school the only other history class I attended was at university where the history of science was part of my Astrophysics course. That was more of an inquiry than parrot learning and more interactive.

After my school and university I had no more history education in that subject. I decided history was something not very relevant to my job as an IT trainer and was not something I enjoyed talking talk about with my friends and family. I still remember a few names of famous writers such as Voltaire, 1694-1778, and that he contributed to the French Revolution through being an outspoken advocate of civil liberties. But I had no sense of who he was or anything about his life.

Now during the Covid-19 pandemic I have been listening to the radio every day and I tune into my favorite shows.  I am starting to like history programs and podcasts from any period and for no particular reason.  I am starting to see that my view of the world is a product of the views of many people throughout history.

 For example, one of the BBC Radio 4 episodes of In Out Time was about the life of Émilie du Châtelet.  I had never heard of her and prior to Covid lockdown I may well have switched stations. I got to learn she was a natural philosopher and aristocrat living in France in the first half of the eighteenth century.  When it was mentioned that one of her lovers was Voltaire, that name from my textbook rang a bell. It turned out, according to the panel of experts answering Melvin Bragg’s questions, she had a wonderful relationship with Voltaire.  They said it was more like a companionship which lasted for the last 15 years of her life.  Voltaire was very interested in the work of Isaac Newton and embarked on a project of writing a book about him. Émilie, being a much better mathematician, was able to help Voltaire by explaining Newton’s theories. She translated the Principia Mathematica from Latin to French, not just word for word but with understanding of his new concepts of science and mathematics.

Émilie du Châtelet came from a privileged background and rubbed shoulders with many aristocrats connected to the French royal court.  At a young age she learned Euclidean geometry, Latin and Italian though attending tutor sessions. She married and was supportive to her husband and their children.  Her marriage was amicable despite taking lovers with whom she explored philosophy and science. She worked extremely hard but said the most important thing in life was to get pleasure from it.

I liked hearing about Voltaire’s visit to London. He wrote: ‘I left Paris and it was full and came to London and it was empty’.  Parisian science according to Descartes saw matter as full. Nothing could move unless something bangs into it. But according to Newton, the cosmos comprised vast tracks of empty space with objects attracted at distance by a force called gravity.

I also learned that on Christmas night in 1758 Halley’s Comet reappeared as predicted. Edmond Halley died in 1742 so he didn’t get to see his prediction come true, but its appearance in the sky right on schedule was hailed as a triumph for scientific reasoning and Newtonian physics. At the same time, though no-one knows how, a new publication reappeared of Emilie du Chatelet’s Principia Mathematica translation. Her work allowed people to understand what Newton had discovered.

So why do I say history is a gift? Today, with Google, information about everyone is just one or two clicks away.  Thousands of volunteers give their time to research and update Wikipedia. I was surprised to see Émilie du Châtelet died at the young age of 43 and Voltaire at 83.  Wikipedia is a gift, giving people free access to a vast amount of information. And what people like Émilie du Chatelet did was also a gift to us all and to humanity. Dedicating her life to the exploration of science and philosophy was a gift.

Who are the gift givers of today? There are so many. One or two that come immediately to mind from what I am currently reading: Lewis Hyde, author of The Gift and Yuval Harari, author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind. I also watched a documentary called Gift based on Lewis Hyde’s ideas around 'gift economy'. Through reading these books I am starting to view history as a series of gifts.

The other day a group of astronomers enjoyed a moment together over Zoom with millions of other viewers. We watched the Perseverance space probe parachute onto the surface of Mars. It was wonderful to share the celebration of that achievement.  We also listened to a talk about the latest theories of galactic clusters. How amazing that we can discuss such things. I am grateful for explorers of science throughout the ages that they gave their time for the benefit of us all.